Our Voices: First-Person Accounts of Schizophrenia

Here’s a snapshot of a new local book connected with our friends over at UNC STEP Clinic…

“Our Voices: First-Person Accounts of Schizophrenia is the first book of its type. There are similar books on schizophrenia, one where patient-authors ask the questions and share their first episodes. Our book is different in that it was designed to emphasize that schizophrenia is a lifelong illness with long-term and daily challenges, not isolating the focus on initial episodes. The market also has books with a similar format to ours: some interview and ask questions to experts, and some attempt to record or analyze answers from the popular mainstream. It should be pointed out that the subject matter of the interviews in these books varies greatly from ours.

The commitment and long process of writing and editing our own book became a reality when Jenny Edwards, one of the social workers from the UNC STEP Clinic (the University of North Carolina Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program) recognized the potential of one of many ideas that were proposed to her. It is so incredible that she would choose an idea, and have the vision, faith and confidence in us that we would make it happen! Her colleague Bebe Smith, Director of Outpatient Services at the STEP Clinic (who has worked in publishing), put the process in motion. Technically, Bebe and Jenny were just advisors for our book project, but we relied greatly on them, much more than they would have liked.

Our team of author-editors consisted of five individuals, each with some form of schizophrenia, who have weathered the worst part of their illness, have put their lives back together, and have really started to succeed in life again. Our author-editing team consists of talented writers, some accomplished, some truly solid. Because of all the unique battles we have triumphed over, we started this book project to share our personal perspectives with the world.

Our goal is to develop understanding in our readers that schizophrenia is a life-long illness, as well as an understanding of shared perceptions, experiences, and challenges people with schizophrenia face in daily living and throughout the course of their illness…”